ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 17, 1991                   TAG: 9104170245
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


SALEM KNOCKS OFF BLACKSBURG

Not bad after being strangers to a baseball field for six days.

Salem whipped butterfingered Blacksburg 7-0 Tuesday despite being exiled from the green grass of home for almost a week because of the weather and scheduling difficulties.

The Spartans (6-0) didn't exactly whack the laces off the baseball with their seven hits, but they did play reasonably proficient defense, and they did get some sound pitching from right-hander Corey Epperly.

Epperly (4-0) doubled his victory output for all of 1990 by scattering three hits and fanning nine. He issued one walk.

"I thought I did all right since that was the first time in a week I've thrown the ball," he said. "I didn't get into my groove until late in the game."

After Brian Davis blooped a single into the gap between second and first in the sixth, Epperly whiffed the last four batters, striking out the side in the seventh.

"Their first three hitters are real good, so I had to give them the curveball - my best pitch," Epperly said. "The rest of them are pretty good too, but I set them up with the curve and came back and got them with the fastball. I'm most effective when I can change speeds."

Blacksburg (2-6), which blew a five-run lead in an 11-9 loss to the Spartans earlier in the season, was ineffective with both bats and gloves. The three hits hurt; the six errors were almost unbearable.

"For the second straight game my defense has let me down," Indians coach Steve Price said. "I couldn't believe that. Defense had been our strong point."

In other baseball:

Scott Phillips (4-0) pitched a five-hitter and struck out 10 as Shawsville (8-1 overall, 2-0 Mountain Empire District) nipped host Galax (4-4, 1-1) 2-0 in a Mountain Empire District game.

Justin Johannes stroked a two-run homer as Amherst County put together a four-run seventh inning to beat Jefferson Forest 7-4 in a Seminole District on the Cavaliers' diamond. Amherst is 6-2, 6-2; Jefferson Forest is 4-5, 4-5.

Robbie Sarver pitched a two-hitter, striking out 11 in five innings, and went 3-for-3 with three RBI and John Akers had two hits and two RBI as Pulaski County crushed William Fleming at 10-0 in a Roanoke Valley District game at Pulaski's Calfee Park shortened to five innings because of the slaughter rule. Pulaski County is 5-3 overall, 2-2 in the district.

At Patrick Henry, three consecutive doubles and a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning carried Patrick Henry to a 3-2 victory over Cave Spring (5-4, 3-2) in a Roanoke Valley District game.

The Patriots (1-6, 1-1) scored two runs on doubles by Kevin Gabbert, Tim Witten and Wo Lawton to go ahead 2-1, and the eventual winning run came on a wild pitch.

Gabbert, a senior left-hander, pitched the complete-game victory, striking out and walking two. With a runner on in the top of the ninth, Gabbert struck out Cave Spring slugger Dee Daulton, who had tripled and scored a run.

\ SOFTBALL: Franklin County pitcher Shelley Bowles hurled a three-hitter, striking out 10 and walking one as the Eagles beat homestanding Lord Botetourt 4-2 in a non-district game.

\ BOYS' SOCCER: Overtime passed without a score and Glenvar and host Pulaski County tied 3-3 in a non-district game. Rodney Burnett booted three second-half goals to put Glenvar ahead, but Pulaski County's Scotty McNeil scored on a penalty kick late in regulation play to deadlock matters at 3-3.



 by CNB